117. How Smartwool Prioritizes Circularity in Their Design with Alicia Chin and Sue Jesch

In episode 117 of the Outdoor Minimalist podcast, we set out to answer the question: what does circularity look like when designing products?

To provide real-life examples and experiences of how they’ve implemented more sustainable operations and moved towards a more circular product design, I had the pleasure of hosting Alicia Chin and Sue Jesch from Smartwool.

Alicia Chin is the Director of Sustainability and Social Impact for emerging brands at VF Corporation—Altra, icebreaker, and Smartwool. At Smartwool, Alicia led the development of the brand’s 10-year roadmap aimed at protecting the outdoors and making outdoor recreation more accessible and inclusive. Before joining Smartwool, Alicia managed sustainability and social responsibility at Heineken USA and the NHL.

Sue Jesch is Global Director of Design at Smartwool and has been with the brand for nearly 15 years. Sue oversees Smartwool’s product design team that brings the brand’s creative expression to life through award-winning, industry-leading products designed to inspire transformative moments in the outdoors.

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Get 15% Off Your Next Order with the Code MINIMALIST

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Smartwool

Website: https://www.smartwool.com/

Second Cut: https://www.smartwool.com/second-cut.html

Recycle Your Socks: https://www.smartwool.com/second-cut/recycle.html

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/smartwool/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Smartwool/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/smartwool

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Related Episodes

⁠12. What's the Deal with Natural Fibers in the Outdoor Industry? with John Gage⁠

48. Can a Company Be 100% Circular? with Niclas Bornling

71. Linear vs Circular Economy

⁠72. What’s the Deal with Deadstock? with Nicole Wilson⁠

⁠101. How Sustainable (and Ethical) is Wool? with Mike Sombery

111. Phasing out PFAS in Outdoor Equipment with Fjallraven

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Original music by Alex Carney and Ethan Wiese